Author: George W Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682474020
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This oral history traces the early career of a future Chief of Naval Operations from Naval Academy graduation in 1927 through command of Carrier Division Six in the Mediterranean in 1958-59. Along the way, he discusses flight training, aviation duty in light cruisers and patrol planes, and service in aircraft carriers, including putting the USS Yorktown (CV-10) into commission under Captain "Jocko" Clark. Admiral Anderson held a number of important planning jobs ashore, including with the Bureau of Aeronautics, the AirPac staff under John Towers, and CominCh staff. He commanded the carriers USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early 1950s, he was on the Sixth Fleet staff, helped establish the NATO command in Europe, and was essentially chief of staff to Admiral Arthur Radford as Chairman of the JCS. As a flag officer, he was Commander Formosa Patrol Force before taking command of CarDiv Six. The concluding volume of this memoir deals with Admiral Anderson's command of the Sixth Fleet from 1959 to 1961, his stormy tenure as Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1963, his tour as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1963 to 1966, and his activities since retirement from government service. In describing his time as fleet commander, Admiral Anderson tells of the fleet's combat capabilities and role as a goodwill ambassador for the nation. When he became CNO during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, Admiral Anderson had good relations with Secretary of the Navy John Connally. Admiral Anderson is much less kind in discussing SecNav Fred Korth and SecDef Robert McNamara. The admiral tells of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his widely publicized disagreements with civilian authority over the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) fighter program that later became the F-111 Aardvark. The memoir also tells of his removal in 1963, when he was not reappointed CNO. He went instead to serve in Portugal. He tells of his dealings with the Portuguese government and with various offices within the U.S. State Department. Following his retirement from active government service, Admiral Anderson served on several corporate boards and was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Nixon administration.
Reminiscences of Adm. George W. Anderson Jr., USN (Ret.), Vol. 2
Author: George W Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682474020
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This oral history traces the early career of a future Chief of Naval Operations from Naval Academy graduation in 1927 through command of Carrier Division Six in the Mediterranean in 1958-59. Along the way, he discusses flight training, aviation duty in light cruisers and patrol planes, and service in aircraft carriers, including putting the USS Yorktown (CV-10) into commission under Captain "Jocko" Clark. Admiral Anderson held a number of important planning jobs ashore, including with the Bureau of Aeronautics, the AirPac staff under John Towers, and CominCh staff. He commanded the carriers USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early 1950s, he was on the Sixth Fleet staff, helped establish the NATO command in Europe, and was essentially chief of staff to Admiral Arthur Radford as Chairman of the JCS. As a flag officer, he was Commander Formosa Patrol Force before taking command of CarDiv Six. The concluding volume of this memoir deals with Admiral Anderson's command of the Sixth Fleet from 1959 to 1961, his stormy tenure as Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1963, his tour as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1963 to 1966, and his activities since retirement from government service. In describing his time as fleet commander, Admiral Anderson tells of the fleet's combat capabilities and role as a goodwill ambassador for the nation. When he became CNO during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, Admiral Anderson had good relations with Secretary of the Navy John Connally. Admiral Anderson is much less kind in discussing SecNav Fred Korth and SecDef Robert McNamara. The admiral tells of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his widely publicized disagreements with civilian authority over the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) fighter program that later became the F-111 Aardvark. The memoir also tells of his removal in 1963, when he was not reappointed CNO. He went instead to serve in Portugal. He tells of his dealings with the Portuguese government and with various offices within the U.S. State Department. Following his retirement from active government service, Admiral Anderson served on several corporate boards and was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Nixon administration.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682474020
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This oral history traces the early career of a future Chief of Naval Operations from Naval Academy graduation in 1927 through command of Carrier Division Six in the Mediterranean in 1958-59. Along the way, he discusses flight training, aviation duty in light cruisers and patrol planes, and service in aircraft carriers, including putting the USS Yorktown (CV-10) into commission under Captain "Jocko" Clark. Admiral Anderson held a number of important planning jobs ashore, including with the Bureau of Aeronautics, the AirPac staff under John Towers, and CominCh staff. He commanded the carriers USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early 1950s, he was on the Sixth Fleet staff, helped establish the NATO command in Europe, and was essentially chief of staff to Admiral Arthur Radford as Chairman of the JCS. As a flag officer, he was Commander Formosa Patrol Force before taking command of CarDiv Six. The concluding volume of this memoir deals with Admiral Anderson's command of the Sixth Fleet from 1959 to 1961, his stormy tenure as Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1963, his tour as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1963 to 1966, and his activities since retirement from government service. In describing his time as fleet commander, Admiral Anderson tells of the fleet's combat capabilities and role as a goodwill ambassador for the nation. When he became CNO during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, Admiral Anderson had good relations with Secretary of the Navy John Connally. Admiral Anderson is much less kind in discussing SecNav Fred Korth and SecDef Robert McNamara. The admiral tells of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his widely publicized disagreements with civilian authority over the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) fighter program that later became the F-111 Aardvark. The memoir also tells of his removal in 1963, when he was not reappointed CNO. He went instead to serve in Portugal. He tells of his dealings with the Portuguese government and with various offices within the U.S. State Department. Following his retirement from active government service, Admiral Anderson served on several corporate boards and was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Nixon administration.
Reminiscences of Adm. George W. Anderson Jr., USN (Ret.), Vol. 2
Author: George Whelan Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682690260
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This oral history traces the early career of a future Chief of Naval Operations from Naval Academy graduation in 1927 through command of Carrier Division Six in the Mediterranean in 1958-59. Along the way, he discusses flight training, aviation duty in light cruisers and patrol planes, and service in aircraft carriers, including putting the USS Yorktown (CV-10) into commission under Captain "Jocko" Clark. Admiral Anderson held a number of important planning jobs ashore, including with the Bureau of Aeronautics, the AirPac staff under John Towers, and CominCh staff. He commanded the carriers USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early 1950s, he was on the Sixth Fleet staff, helped establish the NATO command in Europe, and was essentially chief of staff to Admiral Arthur Radford as Chairman of the JCS. As a flag officer, he was Commander Formosa Patrol Force before taking command of CarDiv Six. The concluding volume of this memoir deals with Admiral Anderson's command of the Sixth Fleet from 1959 to 1961, his stormy tenure as Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1963, his tour as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1963 to 1966, and his activities since retirement from government service. In describing his time as fleet commander, Admiral Anderson tells of the fleet's combat capabilities and role as a goodwill ambassador for the nation. When he became CNO during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, Admiral Anderson had good relations with Secretary of the Navy John Connally. Admiral Anderson is much less kind in discussing SecNav Fred Korth and SecDef Robert McNamara. The admiral tells of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his widely publicized disagreements with civilian authority over the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) fighter program that later became the F-111 Aardvark. The memoir also tells of his removal in 1963, when he was not reappointed CNO. He went instead to serve in Portugal. He tells of his dealings with the Portuguese government and with various offices within the U.S. State Department. Following his retirement from active government service, Admiral Anderson served on several corporate boards and was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Nixon administration.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682690260
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This oral history traces the early career of a future Chief of Naval Operations from Naval Academy graduation in 1927 through command of Carrier Division Six in the Mediterranean in 1958-59. Along the way, he discusses flight training, aviation duty in light cruisers and patrol planes, and service in aircraft carriers, including putting the USS Yorktown (CV-10) into commission under Captain "Jocko" Clark. Admiral Anderson held a number of important planning jobs ashore, including with the Bureau of Aeronautics, the AirPac staff under John Towers, and CominCh staff. He commanded the carriers USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early 1950s, he was on the Sixth Fleet staff, helped establish the NATO command in Europe, and was essentially chief of staff to Admiral Arthur Radford as Chairman of the JCS. As a flag officer, he was Commander Formosa Patrol Force before taking command of CarDiv Six. The concluding volume of this memoir deals with Admiral Anderson's command of the Sixth Fleet from 1959 to 1961, his stormy tenure as Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1963, his tour as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 1963 to 1966, and his activities since retirement from government service. In describing his time as fleet commander, Admiral Anderson tells of the fleet's combat capabilities and role as a goodwill ambassador for the nation. When he became CNO during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, Admiral Anderson had good relations with Secretary of the Navy John Connally. Admiral Anderson is much less kind in discussing SecNav Fred Korth and SecDef Robert McNamara. The admiral tells of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his widely publicized disagreements with civilian authority over the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) fighter program that later became the F-111 Aardvark. The memoir also tells of his removal in 1963, when he was not reappointed CNO. He went instead to serve in Portugal. He tells of his dealings with the Portuguese government and with various offices within the U.S. State Department. Following his retirement from active government service, Admiral Anderson served on several corporate boards and was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Nixon administration.
High Seas Buffer
Author: Bruce A. Elleman
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9781884733956
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
it ensured that friction over the Taiwan Strait did not escalate into a full-blown war. In fact, the Taiwan Patrol Force did its job so well that virtually nothing has been written about it. U.S. Navy ships acted both as a buffer between the two antagonists and as a trip wire in case of aggression. The force fulfilled the latter function twice in the 1950s -- during the first (1954-55) and second (1958) Taiwan Strait crises --
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9781884733956
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
it ensured that friction over the Taiwan Strait did not escalate into a full-blown war. In fact, the Taiwan Patrol Force did its job so well that virtually nothing has been written about it. U.S. Navy ships acted both as a buffer between the two antagonists and as a trip wire in case of aggression. The force fulfilled the latter function twice in the 1950s -- during the first (1954-55) and second (1958) Taiwan Strait crises --
Whitey
Author: Peter B Mersky
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 087021084X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Whitey is the first complete biography of one of the last surviving World War II U.S. Navy aces, and one of the Navy’s most respected officers of any period. Following a typical American, mid-western boyhood, Whitey Feightner was in the vanguard of the huge group of young men thrust into World War II. Upon receiving his commission and his gold wings, he was assigned to a fighter squadron in the Pacific and soon found himself flying with the likes of Jimmy Flatley and Butch O’Hare, two leaders who imparted their own brand of flying skill and leadership to the young ensign. He flew through many of the war’s most hectic and dangerous campaigns, such as Guadalcanal and the Marianas, gaining nine official kills. There were times he should not have returned from a mission, but his own skill and positive outlook helped him make it through all the dangers. After the war, Whitey became a member of the Regular Navy and was assigned to several of the Navy’s most secret and action-filled projects at Patuxent River, Maryland. He flew and helped develop legendary fighters like the F7U Cutlass, F9F Banshee, and Cougar and the attack aircraft AD Skyraider as they joined the fleet, and was one of only two men who flew the radical F7U Cutlass in Blue Angels colors. Returning to the fleet in command of a squadron, and later of an air group, he continued to develop fighter tactics. In between tours at sea, he served in the Pentagon dealing with all the personalities and political turmoil of the time while trying to bring naval aviation into the future. Working with such luminaries as Hyman Rickover and Elmo Zumwalt was not for the feint-hearted, and even Whitey did not come away unscathed. Yet, through it all, he retained the affable demeanor that characterized this rare and highly skilled naval aviator. His life story could serve as a model for any young aviator to follow.
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 087021084X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Whitey is the first complete biography of one of the last surviving World War II U.S. Navy aces, and one of the Navy’s most respected officers of any period. Following a typical American, mid-western boyhood, Whitey Feightner was in the vanguard of the huge group of young men thrust into World War II. Upon receiving his commission and his gold wings, he was assigned to a fighter squadron in the Pacific and soon found himself flying with the likes of Jimmy Flatley and Butch O’Hare, two leaders who imparted their own brand of flying skill and leadership to the young ensign. He flew through many of the war’s most hectic and dangerous campaigns, such as Guadalcanal and the Marianas, gaining nine official kills. There were times he should not have returned from a mission, but his own skill and positive outlook helped him make it through all the dangers. After the war, Whitey became a member of the Regular Navy and was assigned to several of the Navy’s most secret and action-filled projects at Patuxent River, Maryland. He flew and helped develop legendary fighters like the F7U Cutlass, F9F Banshee, and Cougar and the attack aircraft AD Skyraider as they joined the fleet, and was one of only two men who flew the radical F7U Cutlass in Blue Angels colors. Returning to the fleet in command of a squadron, and later of an air group, he continued to develop fighter tactics. In between tours at sea, he served in the Pentagon dealing with all the personalities and political turmoil of the time while trying to bring naval aviation into the future. Working with such luminaries as Hyman Rickover and Elmo Zumwalt was not for the feint-hearted, and even Whitey did not come away unscathed. Yet, through it all, he retained the affable demeanor that characterized this rare and highly skilled naval aviator. His life story could serve as a model for any young aviator to follow.
Gambling with Armageddon
Author: Martin J. Sherwin
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307386333
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 641
Book Description
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Prometheus comes the first effort to set the Cuban Missile Crisis, with its potential for nuclear holocaust, in a wider historical narrative of the Cold War—how such a crisis arose and why, at the very last possible moment, it never happened. “Fresh and thrilling.... A fascinating work of history that is very relevant to today’s politics.” —Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Code Breaker Pulitzer Prize-winning author Martin J. Sherwin introduces a dramatic new view of how luck and leadership avoided a nuclear holocaust during the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Set within the sweep of the Cold War and its nuclear history, every chapter of this gripping narrative of the origins and resolution of history’s most dangerous thirteen days offers lessons and a warning for our time. Gambling with Armageddon presents a riveting, page turning account of the crisis as well as an original exploration of the evolving place of nuclear weapons in the Post-World War II world.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307386333
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 641
Book Description
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Prometheus comes the first effort to set the Cuban Missile Crisis, with its potential for nuclear holocaust, in a wider historical narrative of the Cold War—how such a crisis arose and why, at the very last possible moment, it never happened. “Fresh and thrilling.... A fascinating work of history that is very relevant to today’s politics.” —Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Code Breaker Pulitzer Prize-winning author Martin J. Sherwin introduces a dramatic new view of how luck and leadership avoided a nuclear holocaust during the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Set within the sweep of the Cold War and its nuclear history, every chapter of this gripping narrative of the origins and resolution of history’s most dangerous thirteen days offers lessons and a warning for our time. Gambling with Armageddon presents a riveting, page turning account of the crisis as well as an original exploration of the evolving place of nuclear weapons in the Post-World War II world.
Taiwan Straits
Author: Bruce A. Elleman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0810888904
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
In Taiwan Straits: Crisis in Asia and the Role of the U.S. Navy, historian Bruce Elleman surveys the situation that has led to the current tensions between China and Taiwan. Starting in 1949, the final phase of the civil war in China, which ended with Communist rule of the mainland and nationalist control of Taiwan, this work explores how the 100-mile wide passage of water, known as the Taiwan Strait has served as the geographic flashpoint between the two nations. Even though U.S. Navy destroyers have patrolled this body of water from 1950 to 1979, it has seen four crises—1954-55, 1958, 1962, and, after the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy, 1995-96—that threatened to push Taiwan and China to the brink of war. Notwithstanding the role of the United States in defusing cross-strait tensions for some three decades and the cold peace that has settled in since then, the Taiwan Strait continues to be a major source of anxiety for the region and the world. Taiwan Straits: Crisis in Asia and the Role of the U.S. Navy traces the evolution of this tension between the two nations, details the history of the crises between them, and brings this story forward into the present by considering continuing sources of conflict, present diplomatic efforts by the aggrieved nations, and other key interests—from the United States and Europe to other regional powers—and future possible outcomes in the ongoing struggle between China and Taiwan relations. Simply written and cogently argued, it is the ideal source for military personnel, diplomats, and scholars and student of the modern Far East.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0810888904
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
In Taiwan Straits: Crisis in Asia and the Role of the U.S. Navy, historian Bruce Elleman surveys the situation that has led to the current tensions between China and Taiwan. Starting in 1949, the final phase of the civil war in China, which ended with Communist rule of the mainland and nationalist control of Taiwan, this work explores how the 100-mile wide passage of water, known as the Taiwan Strait has served as the geographic flashpoint between the two nations. Even though U.S. Navy destroyers have patrolled this body of water from 1950 to 1979, it has seen four crises—1954-55, 1958, 1962, and, after the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy, 1995-96—that threatened to push Taiwan and China to the brink of war. Notwithstanding the role of the United States in defusing cross-strait tensions for some three decades and the cold peace that has settled in since then, the Taiwan Strait continues to be a major source of anxiety for the region and the world. Taiwan Straits: Crisis in Asia and the Role of the U.S. Navy traces the evolution of this tension between the two nations, details the history of the crises between them, and brings this story forward into the present by considering continuing sources of conflict, present diplomatic efforts by the aggrieved nations, and other key interests—from the United States and Europe to other regional powers—and future possible outcomes in the ongoing struggle between China and Taiwan relations. Simply written and cogently argued, it is the ideal source for military personnel, diplomats, and scholars and student of the modern Far East.
Rhetoric in Martial Deliberations and Decision Making
Author: Ronald H. Carpenter
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN: 9781570035555
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
In this study of the discourse involved in martial deliberations, Ronald H. Carpenter examines the rhetoric employed by naval and military commanders as they recommend specific tactics and strategies to peers as well as presidents. Drawing on ideas of rhetorical thinking from Aristotle to Kenneth Burke, Carpenter identifies two concepts of particular importance to the military decision-making process: prudence and the representative anecdote.
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN: 9781570035555
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
In this study of the discourse involved in martial deliberations, Ronald H. Carpenter examines the rhetoric employed by naval and military commanders as they recommend specific tactics and strategies to peers as well as presidents. Drawing on ideas of rhetorical thinking from Aristotle to Kenneth Burke, Carpenter identifies two concepts of particular importance to the military decision-making process: prudence and the representative anecdote.
Naval Blockades and Seapower
Author: Bruce A. Elleman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134257295
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
This new collection of scholarly, readable, and up-to-date essays covers the most significant naval blockades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Here the reader can find Napoleon’s Continental Blockade of England, the Anglo-American War of 1812, the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the first Sino-Japanese War 1894-95, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the second Sino-Japanese War 1937-45, the Second World War in Europe and Asia, the Nationalist attempt to blockade the PRC, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the British blockade of Rhodesia, the Falklands War, the Persian Gulf interdiction program, the PRC "missile" blockade of Taiwan in 1996, and finally Australia's recent "reverse" blockade to keep illegal aliens out of the country. The authors of each chapter address the causes of the blockade in question, its long and short-term repercussions, and the course of the blockade itself. More generally, they address the state of the literature, taking advantage of new research and new methodologies to provide something of value to both the specialist and non-specialist reader. Taken as a whole, this volume presents fresh insights into issues such as what a blockade is, why countries might choose them, which navies can and cannot make use of them, what responses lead to satisfactory or unsatisfactory conclusions, and how far-reaching their consequences tend to be. This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of strategic studies, military history and maritime studies in particular.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134257295
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
This new collection of scholarly, readable, and up-to-date essays covers the most significant naval blockades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Here the reader can find Napoleon’s Continental Blockade of England, the Anglo-American War of 1812, the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the first Sino-Japanese War 1894-95, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the second Sino-Japanese War 1937-45, the Second World War in Europe and Asia, the Nationalist attempt to blockade the PRC, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the British blockade of Rhodesia, the Falklands War, the Persian Gulf interdiction program, the PRC "missile" blockade of Taiwan in 1996, and finally Australia's recent "reverse" blockade to keep illegal aliens out of the country. The authors of each chapter address the causes of the blockade in question, its long and short-term repercussions, and the course of the blockade itself. More generally, they address the state of the literature, taking advantage of new research and new methodologies to provide something of value to both the specialist and non-specialist reader. Taken as a whole, this volume presents fresh insights into issues such as what a blockade is, why countries might choose them, which navies can and cannot make use of them, what responses lead to satisfactory or unsatisfactory conclusions, and how far-reaching their consequences tend to be. This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of strategic studies, military history and maritime studies in particular.
Admiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater
Author: Brayton Harris
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0230107656
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
"The life of legendary fleet admiral Chester W. Nimitz and how his command shaped the course of World War II in the Pacific"--Jacket.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0230107656
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
"The life of legendary fleet admiral Chester W. Nimitz and how his command shaped the course of World War II in the Pacific"--Jacket.
Anchor of Resolve
Author: Robert J. Schneller
Publisher: Military Bookshop
ISBN: 9781782661139
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 144
Book Description
This illustrated history covers the history of the U.S. Navy in the Middle East. America's interests in the Middle East, southwest Asia, and eastern Africa date almost to the founding of the nation. Since World War II, the Navy has been the first line of defense for these interests. From the establishment of the Middle East Force (MEF) in 1949 through the beginning of the 21st century, the U.S. Navy served as a force for stability and peace in the region.
Publisher: Military Bookshop
ISBN: 9781782661139
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 144
Book Description
This illustrated history covers the history of the U.S. Navy in the Middle East. America's interests in the Middle East, southwest Asia, and eastern Africa date almost to the founding of the nation. Since World War II, the Navy has been the first line of defense for these interests. From the establishment of the Middle East Force (MEF) in 1949 through the beginning of the 21st century, the U.S. Navy served as a force for stability and peace in the region.